Lipa footbridge elevators to be operational 2 years after installation

A pair of elevators, installed two years ago at both ends of a footbridge along General Luna Avenue in Lipa City but have never been nonfunctional, will finally be operational this July, GMA 7 news program "24 Oras" reported on Friday.

"Admit namin, natagalan," said the Department of Public Works and Highways' Batangas 4th District Engineering office chief Rody Angulo. "Pero na-address namin lahat 'yan."

Angulo explained that the elevators, worth P5 million, had remained nonfunctional partly because the contractors took two years to purchase parts.

"Natagalan sila dun sa procurement nung transformer," he explained.

Furthermore, while these missing parts were installed in the first quarter of 2017, there was another delay as the original copy of the memorandum of agreement that would have turned the elevators  over to the local government were misplaced.

"Ang manlift hindi operational at the time kasi sinisiguro rin namin na naisapapales, at siyempre, naayos din yung parts," Angulo elaborated. "Nagkaroon ng pagkatagal yung process ng pag-asikaso.

"Yung mga ganyang bagay, sinisiguro namin, ina-assure natin yung public, na hindi naman mangyayari uli yung mga ganyan," he added. — Rie Takumi/DVM, GMA News